Saintless

From the day that Sam Granato announced that he was seeking the Democratic Nomination for Bob Bennett’s Senate seat, I’ve felt a resistance against supporting him. There are plenty of reasons that could explain that resistance I felt, but what it came down to was a gut instinct.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t dislike Sam Granato as a person. I love his Deli downtown, and I think his businesses are a great asset to our community.

I do admit that I held out hope that Pete Ashdown would run for Bennett’s seat. And it’s no secret that I really admire Pete Ashdown both as a person and as a political candidate. And that was definitely a reason to resist Granato. However, I couldn’t imagine even giving Granato my secondary support. He was a candidate I could ignore, but not a candidate I could admire.

I’ve never felt that he had any strong opinions on issues that were important to me. I’ve talked with him several times, and had conversations with Rob Miller about considering an endorsement. But, he just never had anything important to say. He wasn’t passionate about an issue, he didn’t have ideas on how to fix any of the issues that we face. In fact, the only thing I can remember him saying about economic recovery is that because he owns a business, he knows how to create jobs. And that’s just a little too presumptuous to me. There was no true plan telling how to create more jobs, how job creation will fit into the big picture, or even what sort of jobs need to be created.

The powers that be within the Democratic Party seem to have embraced Granato as a candidate from day 1. Granted, I haven’t had any discussions with Wayne Holland about the Senate candidacy, but when last year’s Vice Chair escorts a candidate to all the parties, it’s clear that at least the impression will be that the insiders of the party support him. And once the insiders support a candidate, the rest of us seem to follow along. Except that I don’t think that the delegate are quite the same crowd that they usually are. And the presence at the Salt Lake County Convention of so many Claudia Wright supporters seems to give evidence of that.

I believe that the delegates, are paying attention to the issues, and if you consider Sam Granato on the issues, he really has no stance on anything. And that lack of a position isn’t enough to convince Democratic Delegates who are paying attention, nor is it enough to convince the general Utah population that he’s a worthy candidate.

As delegates, there tend to be two things that we think about. The first, which is the most important to me, is whether the candidate is someone I believe in. Are they someone who represents my values? Are they true Democrats? Are my issues of importance to them? Can they provide leadership and reasoned opinions on issues of importance today?

And with Sam Granato’s history of donations to Orrin Hatch and GW Bush, I don’t feel like he has a history of believing in Democratic values. I don’t feel that my issues (environment, equality, health care) are issues that he really has any passion about. Issues of the day (economics, job recovery, future foreign policy) are not issues that I think that Granato has any particular experience in.

The second thing we think about is whether a candidate can win in the general election. I’ll leave that topic alone for now, and go back to the first.

A friend told me recently that Granato has “put the work in” and deserves the Democratic nomination. I was a bit aghast, because this person’s political opinions are ones I respect very much, and I felt that he was really just falling in line with the political game with this one. What I think it really came down to was that my friend hadn’t had the chance to really evaluate Stout’s opinions, and felt that even though he knew Granato would lose the primary, that at least Granato had shown up.

Now, my initial response was to point out that he couldn’t name one thing that Granato had actually done besides use donations to sponsor certain groups who later endorsed him, and show up to all the fun parties. And while that stuff is important, it really doesn’t mean a damn thing in the long run. When our next Senator begins voting, are we going to say “well, at least he was at the parties”? I know I’m not.

The thing that really sealed Sam Granato’s fate for me was a little more recent, though. Let me begin with this quote from Sam Granato’s campaign site, a portion of his address to Utah County Democrats:

I have friends who are judges, police officers, printers, paramedics, and every other sort of professional. I’m not dropping names here. I just want you to know that my first-name friends come from all walks of life. They are good people. I love ‘em all. But I would never judge them. We are told: “Judge not that ye be judged.” I believe that with all my heart.

And yes, I have friends who are gay. I have friends who have been in trouble with the law. ( I hired a few of those folks, hoping to give them a second chance.) And I have friends who have been through the trauma of abortion – including a close friend whose teenage daughter made that troublesome decision.

I do my best not to judge any of them. They are human beings. They deserve my love and concern – just as you do – just as all my friends do.

Now, this just really gets me angry. I’m a bisexual woman, and I don’t like politicians who compare me to criminals, and then offer human compassion. I typically call those politicians right-wingers. And when it comes from a candidate for a Democratic nomination, I typically call them traitors. I can’t believe that he turns around and sponsors LGBT events, and even gets the Stonewall Board’s endorsement, after spewing that trash.

And maybe most of my readers won’t get why that statement bothers me so badly. I won’t even get into the abortion thing. But, imagine that he’d said “I have friends who are black. I have friends who have been in trouble with the law.” Or maybe substitute “girls”, or “atheists” or “Catholics” or whatever else might be unique about you, but not mainstream in our society. Or, let me put it another way:

Because gays and criminals and people who have abortions are all bad people who he tries not to judge?

So, no – I can’t support Sam Granato. He’s not a candidate I can either understand or promote.

Tags: Sam Granato, US Senate

Eric Ethington, of Pride in Your Community, set up a candlelight vigil tonight. I was pleased to see that the ratio of men to women attending was about 40/60. I often bemoan the fact that in Utah, all the activists seem to be male, but we almost made up 50% this time!

I met quite a few interesting people tonight. There were at least two women from Utah County. One of which had only come out to her family last week, only to find out that they weren’t surprised. There was a woman there who brought her parents, who were very pleasant to chat with. My friend Justan’s whole family seemed to be there, including his adorable 2 year old brother.

I am really glad that I got a chance to go. I seem to have missed about 90% of the social and political events lately. And I got to meet some great people that really have made me feel very good about where our movement is going. It seems that more and more family members are standing up to support their LGBT sons and daughters and fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers. Not only supporting them, but actively taking a stand, talking to their coworkers, or their friends, and making it known that they are proud of their loved ones who happen to be LGBT.

Sometimes it’s hard to see the progress we are making. This is a fight that people like myself have been having since before I was born. And the progress from having homes and gay bars raided, and gay people sent to jail, to a more honest debate about protecting people from being fired because they’re gay, or even transgender, is a lot of progress. Although there are discouraging moments, and progress really just can’t happen fast enough, this is a battle that we are winning. And we will continue to win. The next generation, my children’s children, might not even understand that there ever was an issue. And that’s what this is all about. Equality isn’t about getting special rights for a certain group. It’s about true equality, where the difference in skin color, or who you want to fall in love with, or whether you’re male or female aren’t seen as a difference when it comes to living your everyday life. And if you can be fired, or evicted, or denied a marriage license, or arrested – your life is much different, and you are forced to hide a part of yourself because of it.

ENDA needs to pass. And it needs to pass with transgender protections. I can’t advocate for protection for myself, when my brothers and sisters who have fought for me will get left behind. And Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, has said that she the Employment NonDiscrimination Act would be her next priority. We need to make sure this happens.

Please call Speaker Pelosi at 202-225-4965. Ask that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, HR 3017, move to a vote. As always, please be polite, but firm. After you call, I’d love to know how the call went in the comments. And then get your loved ones to call, too.

As a side note, tonight was also Earth Hour 2010. I somehow missed this – I typically participate and turn my lights out for the specified hour. I’m not sure how that happened, but I wouldn’t have been home anyway, since I was up at the Capitol during that time. It was nice to talk to the guy who set this up at Capitol Hill. I can’t remember his name, but he came by and talked to us for a few minutes. It was only dusk at that point, so I hadn’t yet noticed that the lights were out (outside, though since there was a prom going on inside, those lights weren’t turned out!), but as I looked around, I did notice that all of the outside lights were out. Even though I wasn’t able to participate, this is something that concerns me on a daily basis. I always try to keep the lights and unused appliances turned off, when possible. And that’s the point of Earth Hour – to bring attention to the daily things we can do on an individual basis.

Tags: Earth Hour, ENDA, Pride in Utah

We all know Gayle Ruzika has gone off her rocker, but seriously?

Apparently, Gayle Ruzika, of The Eagle Forum, is against the spirit of patriotism, of responsbility, where we all pledge to work harder, and look not only after ourselves, but each other.

If you like that spirit, and you want to be a better person, and make your own pledge, go to USAService.org.

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Tags: Gayle Ruzika, patriotism, The Eagle Forum, USAService.org

I don’t have time to write out all of my thoughts on this, nor do I have all of the detail in either case. Regardless, my overall opinion will remain the same.

It takes acts like rioting at the G20 and Tim DeChristopher bidding on auctions for our society to get our heads out of our collective asses.

U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman said that, while he recognized people (i.e. DeChristopher) may have deeply held views on government behavior, they should express them lawfully.

Well, see, there’s a problem with that. People like me go to protests and stand around on street corners with signs, and no one gives a shit. We write, or we tell our friends, or we donate to causes, and nothing gets done. And if you look back at the history of the US, it takes people willing to do things that are “wrong” to make things change. And in retrospect, they’re called heroes. So, while breaking windows in Europe isn’t something I can actually condone, I’m glad someone is doing it. And now the press is paying attention, and the world is reacting.

Sadly, it took way too long this morning for me to decide whether the G20 riots and the news of DeChristopher’s indictment were real, or some sad April Fools Day joke. Society needs to wake up, and these people are the only ones who seem to be getting our collective attention.

Tags: G20, Tim DeChristopher

Well, the corn syrup industry may hope you don’t, but this guy knows:

I loved this, because every time I see the industry commercials trying to convince me it’s ok in moderation, I feel like shutting my tv off (and I would, but it’s Rachel Maddow….). I especially enjoyed the little “PS” at the end of the video.

This was featured on Eat Healthy Mondays, and gives some pretty compelling reasons to reconsider the place HFCS has in your diet.

“Cage free”, “Free Range”, “All Natural”, “No Antibiotics or Hormones Administered”, “Omega-3 of 225mg in Each Egg”, “Vegetarian Fed”, “Organic Vegetarian Feed”, “75 mcg of Folic Acid”

What do all of those mean, what are the differences from one label to the next, and why should you care? Well, to sum it up, here are things to look for on your egg cartons:

• Free Range
• Omega-3
• Organic Vegetarian Feed

Eat Well Guide goes into the specifics about which egg labels are BS, and which are the ones to look for.

Although these types of labels seem to be gaining ground due to consumers’ increasing demand for natural, safe and healthy food products, the labeling frenzy may at times confound rather than help the customer in making purchasing decisions.

And if you’re wondering why you should care, check out Sustainable Table, or watch The Meatrix:

The above post is Ezra Klein’s fault, if anyone cares. He’s got a good blog up today about why more people will be caring in the near future.

One last thing….later this week, a new restaurant is opening in Sugar House, called Au Naturel. If you’re anywhere near, you’ll want to check it out. Hopefully, I’ll be interviewing the owner soon, and can bring you all the delicious facts!

Houston is my hometown. I haven’t been back in quite a while, since Daddy’s not around anymore. But, it will always be home, and seeing Hurricane Ike ravaging Galvaston, right next door, is tearing my heart out. Katrina’s doesn’t seem all that long ago, and the devastation in New Orleans is something I’d hoped never to see again. As I drove back to work from lunch, I listened to an interview with some official in Galvaston, who said that the madatory evacuation they’ve issued says that if you don’t leave, you will die. Apparently, the last time that particular warning was sent out was with Katrina. The guy being interviewed said he was still seeing people on the streets, and that many hadn’t evacuated.

I was just watching the CNN Live Cam (IE only – and click the link on the right side if it’s showing you the map), and watched some guy in a truck pull away from the water line being shown. I sure hope he was getting the hell out, though I’m not sure that’s still possible. I haven’t heard or read anything other than what I just mentioned, and I’m not sure if I want to.

Not supposed to be crying at work. I think I might be done here for the day….

John Amateo, of Crooks and Liars (one of my favorite blogs), wrote a piece on the media’s concept that we’re voting for personalities, rather than policies. It’s a very informative read, most certainly. He ends with this:

This election is about restoring some order to our country. Here’s a memo to the media: Do some segments about POLICY! It matters when we’re actually trying to get jobs, pay bills and feed our families. I can’t make it any clearer than that.

A vote for McCain equals more War.

A vote for McCain equals No universal health care.

A vote for McCain equals a continued collapsing economy.

A vote for McCain equals higher gas prices.

A vote for McCain equals no help for the housing market.

A vote for McCain equals a further erosion of woman’s rights.

A vote for McCain equals ideologue judges being placed throughout the country.

As I put in the comments on the C&L blog, I take exception to the concept that McCain equals higher gas prices.

Ok, it’s true that McCain will bring higher gas prices, but the actual problem is higher energy prices. McCain will not put an emphasis on alternative energy, other than a token nod to it. He is not concerned with environmental impacts of oil drilling, or auto emissions. He is not concerned with how our energy needs have driven foreign policy. He is not concerned with the jobs that alternative energy technology will bring. He just wants to drill, and pretend that will solve all of our problems. In the end, it won’t be just higher gas prices, it will be higher energy prices, all around. And the US will not end up being a leader in current and upcoming technology, as we have in the past. We’ll have missed the boat, and put jobs, national security, and the economy at risk.

I had just dropped my oldest son off at his day care, and was taking my younger son over to his, when I was stopped at a traffic light. I watched in horror as a small sedan made a left turn at the light and ran over a bicyclist. The bike was in pieces, and the cyclist was laying in a very unnatural position. I can’t remember feeling such horror in my life as I did right then.

I see people all the time doing careless and dangerous things when behind the wheel. Someone in a hurry speeds up to make their turn in front of oncoming traffic, doesn’t stop for the pedestrian who was already crossing the road, sends text messages while driving, the list goes on.

And those are the kind of drivers that hit bikes and pedestrians. I have no idea what the story was with the driver of the car that hit the bike this morning, s/he may have been a very cautious driver, who wasn’t doing anything stupid. But what I saw shouldn’t have happened. And as I drove up to Layton for work, I kept thinking about how, when you get behind the wheel, you have a huge responsibility to everyone around you, and accidents like this morning don’t have to happen.

I hear people bitching about cyclists, grumpy that they have to share the road with them, especially with all the new bike lanes in Salt Lake. It really makes me mad when I hear this, because those people on bikes have every right to be there.

It also makes me mad when I see cyclists doing stupid things, and give other people any reason to bitch about sharing the road. When a cyclist doesn’t wait for a light, runs a stop sign, uses a pedestrian walkway to avoid obeying the rules of the road, or anything else like that, they make me mad, too. The rules are there for safety, and a cyclist has to obey them, too. (The cyclist this morning was obeying those rules, btw).

I’m sick to my stomach still, though I’ve finally stopped shaking. My mind keeps replaying the sedan literally running over the bike, several feet in the air, and the bike pieces flying, and the cyclist laying in the road twisted. It didn’t have to happen, it shouldn’t happen again. I’m going to be buying a new bike soon, but this has me second guessing that decision.

And since I’m on a rant, the same goes for motorcyclists. There’s blame on both sides, but my most recent experience was on the freeway, in the fast lane. I was passing a semi, and a guy on a bullet bike was behind me. He was up close, and I figured he wanted to pass, and though I was a bit irritated, I decided to get out of his way after I’d passed the semi. So, right after I passed, I turned on my blinker to get over, and waited maybe 3 seconds as I moved far enough ahead to be safe. I checked, and the bike was still behind me, checked my side mirror to make sure the semi was where I thought it was, and began to get over. As I did, I also turned my head to verify that I was clear. Well, apparently, I wasn’t getting out of the way fast enough for the bullet bike, and he had squeezed in between the semi and me. There was absolutely no safe way for the bike to squeeze through, and it really pissed me off that his stupidity almost lead to me killing him.

So, be safe, remember that your hurry isn’t everyone else’s problem and be more aware of the world around you, ok? Oh, and think about what a favor the cyclists are doing you by saving the environment, and not increasing the demand for gasoline, and give them a break.

P.S. I’ll be back to blogging eventually. Family issues are taking all of my attention right now, and I barely have time to think.

Update: While looking for new of the accident I saw this morning, I came across two local news items that really add to my point that people need to pay more attention. First, from KSL:

A man has been seriously injured in a car crash that was caused by a distracted driver. Police say the driver was texting when the wreck happened.

And from KUTV 2:

A woman was struck by a vehicle and killed in Weber County late Tuesday night while walking to the grocery store, authorities said.

Investigators said it appears that Mary Deats was trying to cross Harrison and 15th Street in Ogden at approximately 10:00 p.m.  A driver traveling north on Harrison didn’t see the elderly woman until it was too late.

It’s no wonder we parents are so protective of our children that the childhood experience today is so much different than when we grew up. I sometimes wonder how it is that I don’t let my 10 year old son walk 3 blocks to the 7-11 for a Slurpee by himself, and then stuff like this happens, and I realize that he’s going to be 30 before that happens….

If anyone does have news on the cyclist accident from this morning, please share. I’d really like to know if the rider was ok.

Tags: bicycles

I really, really, really can’t wait for the Downtown Farmer’s Market to open! I’m excited to get fresh, local produce, and see the vendors. I’ve had the opening date (June 14th) set up on my calendar for months. Here’s the information on the opening celebration:

Market Merriment
Gather with the Growers

The Downtown Farmers Market celebrates the opening of its 16th season!
Enjoy a festive evening with farmers, fun, food, and famous ale.

Monday, June 9th, 2008
5 pm – 8 pm
Squatters Pub Brewery
147 West Broadway

$25 in advance, $30 at the door
Local flavors and spirits provided
Proceeds benefit the Farmers Market

For more information contact Danica Farley at 801.333.1105 or
danica@downtownslc.org.

And the info on the actual Farmer’s Market:

The Downtown Farmers Market opens on June 14, 2008. We can’t wait to see you there.

When: Saturdays – June thru Oct Time: 8:00am to 1:00pm Where: Historic Pioneer Park (300 South & 300 West) The Downtown Farmers Market is a local growers’ market, featuring fresh produce from over 70 Utah farmers. In addition to the produce, the Market also offers a variety of fresh baked breads and pastries, cheeses, meat and seafood, jams and honeys, house and garden plants, arranged planters, and numerous handmade arts & crafts. Unique food vendors also are a part of the Market, offering prepared foods and beverages. Sign up for to recieve “Fresh Peaches” , the Farmers’ Market email newsletter twice monthly to your inbox. http://www.downtownslc.org/newsletter.htm

I think that I’ll get the boys up early that day and find our way over to Trax. They love riding the train, and that will be a great way to start the day. To go along with the food, is the Art & Craft Market:

Downtown Art & Craft Market 2008

Dates: Saturdays – June 14 thru Oct 18 When: 8:00am to 1:00pm Where: Historic Pioneer Park (300 South 300 West) Downtown Salt Lake City The Downtown Art & Craft Market features vendors who create all categories of handmade, non-imported crafts and visual arts; including original paintings, photography, jewelry, pottery, household wares, leather goods, dried flowers, bath products, furniture, and one-of-a-kind gifts.

While I’m writing about local events, I should include these, from the Local First newsletter.

• Attend the Salt Lake City Open House on Conditional Use Zoning on June 11th

Consultants working with the Salt Lake City Council are holding a public open house to review the Conditional Use Zoning Ordinance refinement process and to discuss potential changes to the ordinance amendments. The open house will be held Wednesday, June 11th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Salt Lake City’s Main Library Branch (210 East, 400 South) on the 4th Floor. For more information email Robyn Geist at robyn@wfandco.com.

• Join Local First and Partners at Salt Lake’s City Weekly Summer Rec Fest on June 14th

Salt Lake City Weekly’s Summer Rec Fest was created to boast Utah’s greatest outdoor assets. The festival will include Dutch oven cooking competitions, fly-fishing demonstrations, a climbing wall, live music, food, and prizes! Local First and partners will have vendor booths. Come support the Local First community and enjoy the atmosphere on June 14th from 12 PM to 6PM at the Gallivan Center in Downtown Salt Lake City. Email info@localfirst.org for more information or visit http://slweekly.com.

• Visit the Zion Canyon Art and Flute Festival June 9th Through June 15th

The Zion Canyon Art and Flute festival is a gathering of world flute recording artists performing live on stage, flute makers and native artists displaying their original work. Admission is $1.00 per person and takes place in Springdale, UT. For directions and more information visit www.zioncanyonartandflutefestival.com.

Side Note: While I was on the Downtown Alliance web site, I noticed a poll asking if I agreed with the proposed change to downtown parking, requiring payment on evenings and Saturdays. Let them know what you think.